Bass VI FTW!

[rummynose999]

Awesome! This is how a Bass VI should be played.

[sausagefoot]

That sounded awesome man. Great riff.

[HawK047]

I'd love one of these!

[shuckslbj]

very nice.

1. how much did this thang cost you?

2. this sounds a hell of a lot like Unwed Sailor.

[stereordinary]

@shuckslbj It cost about $2300. And I like Unwed Sailor, but I don't know their stuff very well. Got a link to the song that this sounds like?

[shuckslbj]

@stereordinary It's not any particular song, but it just sounds like their style (and the bassist's tone).

[arrisfilms]

Is that the kornia vi?

[stereordinary]

@arrisfilms No, that's a 2006 Fender Custom Shop.

[arrisfilms]

@stereordinary is there a sample of the korina vi?

[stereordinary]

@arrisfilms I'll email you one. :)

[arrisfilms]

@stereordinary Have you ever made one with a starblaster shape?

[stereordinary]

@arrisfilms You mean a Starblaster bass or baritone? Not yet, no.  That would be a cool project though.

[arrisstuff]

@stereordinary I'd buy it :D

[GrowTheCaine]

Is this a bass guitar or a Baritone? i just can never tell especially due to both having six strings.

[stereordinary]

@GrowTheCaine It's a bass guitar. The difference is primarily in the tuning, as a bass guitar is tuned to standard (E-E), while a baritone is tuned a fifth down from standard (B-B).

[GrowTheCaine]

@stereordinary so is this tuned to e or b?

[stereordinary]

@GrowTheCaine I've always had it tuned E-E. Baritone tuning would require different gauge strings, so I never bothered trying that out.

[TheCureRSX]

amazing sound and amazing riff! i'm building myself a bass six from a prs baritone (i'm modifying tuners, bridge and neck) (sorry if my english's not so well)

[stereordinary]

@TheCureRSX Thank you! Best of luck with your project, it sounds really cool!

[jambi880]

@TheCureRSX What's the difference between a baritone guitar and a bass? How is your baritone guitar going to become a bass?

[TheCureRSX]

@jambi880 a baritone guitar has guitar strings, tuned in B, below the E of a e-guitar. And a bass six is tuned in E, below the E of a E-guitar, i don't know the word in english but it french we say an "octave" below a e-tuned guitar.

To be tuned so low, a guitar need stronger strings with a stronger "tirant" : bass VI strings. But these strings are very big, so i have to change tuners, bridge, and surely the neck, because of the radius, and the scale.

[vetzaaak]

Sounds nice. Sorry if you've been asked this a million times before, but have you ever compared your bass VI to one of those fender jagur baritones? If so, what's the verdict? Cheers!

[stereordinary]

@vetzaaak Actually you're first person to ask that specifically. Sadly though, I've never played a Jaguar Baritone, so I don't really know how they measure up.

[Beckettlol]

Nevermind, I saw a past answer you posted!

[Beckettlol]

Hey man, I love the Bass VI, but how much did you pay for it? I want to try and track one down and see how much I could buy it for. I heard Fender Custom Shop do them for a lot of money (too much in my opinion) but it's not on their site.

[beforethree]

best fender ever...

Cure forever in my heart Robert Smith...

[metalcore929]

Reminds me of the cure, very cool. 

[2ndperspective]

is it possible to play that bass with fingers?

[stereordinary]

@2ndperspective Yes, but it would be very cramped.

[stereordinary]

@2ndperspective It's got pretty narrow string spacing, so though I suppose you could play it with your fingers, I can't imagine anybody actually wanting too.

[arrisfilms]

@2ndperspective I've seen some one playing "The Beatles Blackbird" on thier Bass VI so maybe

[mcavoyfam6]

put a bigsby on that sucker!

[stereordinary]

@mcavoyfam6 It's already got the best vibrato ever on it! Not that Bigsbys aren't a close second. ;)

[Joshplaysinstruments]

So does anybody have a legitimate source that proves that it is safe to play a bass through guitar speakers at any volume?

[6arcsn1sky]

Do you think you can cover any Beatles songs that John or George played bass? That bass was used in the White Album, Let It Be, and Abbey Road.

[stereordinary]

@6arcsn1sky Maybe give me a specific song you'd like to hear and I'll try to learn it. I'm a pretty terrible player to be honest, LOL.

[6arcsn1sky]

@stereordinary Try out "Birthday," and I guarantee that you'll master that song in an hour or two. Good luck.

[thewalking]

This is a beautiful riff and a beautiful instrument.

[loldecepticonlol]

I like the tone. :]

[overoath123]

Is the schecter hellcat VI a good alternative to the Mighty Bass VI?

[stereordinary]

Some say it is. I've heard that the pickups in the Schecter are mellower sounding, so the tone is almost there, but not quite. For the money though, the Schecter is a good way to go.

[overoath123]

I'm thinking about getting a Schecter hellcat someday, And can the fender custom shop build a Bass VI for a customer?

[stereordinary]

Yes, they can. It's obviously very expensive, but they are quality instruments.

I know another guy who can build a Bass VI though... me. :P

[overoath123]

like 5000 maybe? you build guitars?

[stereordinary]

A Fender Custom Shop VI, I've heard is gonna run you at least $5000, probably more.

And yes, I build guitars, all from scratch. I make my own truss rods and everything. You can contact me via the private message system and I can email you some pictures of some guitars I'm making right now.

[overoath123]

Alright cool, I will, do you make short scale 6 string basses as well?

[stereordinary]

The Bass VI is a short-scale six-string bass. ;)

[rockindavid310]

ahh my friend, is that your own stuff? :)

[stereordinary]

You mean the tune?  Yes, it's my own.

[stereordinary]

Not so much. Suppose it couldn't hurt though.

[offsetguitars]

You look wasted!!! Are you wasted?

[stereordinary]

LOL!

[638PM]

i cant get this riff out of my head... i absolutely love the sound and riff

[stereordinary]

Aw, thanks man. I really want to get it and the rest of the song fleshed out, but I don't have a band right now. Maybe somebody local to me will see it someday.

[638PM]

yeah that would be sweet. this really would make a killer song. good luck to you and i hope you can get into a band

[ak47dragunov]

you're tuned to EADGBE an octave down right?

[stereordinary]

Yup!

[DOOBAGE69]

since it's tuned as low as a bass, does it damage your amp? I know playing a normal bass through a guitar amp eventually does damage to the amp.

[stereordinary]

It could. But I don't get to play it plugged in very much, and I'm thinkin' about trading that amp for a bass amp. So I don't anticipate that amp getting ruined.

[troytroyus]

You will not damage the head, but you might damage the speakers. So you may want to look into a different cab. Don't change the head unless you are searching for a different tone. ('American 6L6' vs. 'British EL34', etc...)

[AToxicOrange]

oh lord, not this again.

playing a bass through a guitar amp doesn't damage anything. never has, never will. if it does, it's because of the user, not the bass.

it's the same way with playing a guitar through a bass amp.

[rud3m3chanical]

I'd suggest looking up Thiess/Small parameters & finding the definition of Xmax. Bass speakers are typically designed to move twice as far as guitar speakers, which should give you some idea of why playing a bass LOUD through a guitar cabinet might be a bad idea.

If you doubt that, I'd suggest grabbing a bass, plugging it into your favourite guitar amp/cab, cranking the volume and bass controls and slamming out big E chords (R58 power chord on top of the open E string).

;)

[AToxicOrange]

Yeah, duh. But if you're not a retard, you can play a bass through a guitar cab/amp without a problem. If you do that shit with a fucking GUITAR, you'll fuck up the amp, so give me a break.

[machiasmadman]

@AToxicOrange I will damage guitar speakers.

[Milkshayx]

@AToxicOrange Yes it can. At low volume its not a big deal, but at higher volume you can easily blow speakers that aren't designed to handle those lower frequencies. I've seen it happen with more than one amp. Guitar through a bass amp though has no problems.

[AToxicOrange]

@Milkshayx If you're talking amp-wise though, then it won't do a damn thing.

The bassist from Cream used to play a Bass VI through a Marshall stack, and crank it. Never had problems with speakers OR amp.

[Milkshayx]

@AToxicOrange Yes he did. Many bassists of that time did. But, you cant make a blanket statement about all guitar amps being perfectly ok while having bass run through them, especially at high volume.

[Ilovemyfender2]

@AToxicOrange As a matter of fact, all a bass does to a guitar amp is break the speaker in slightly, which only makes it sound better.

So nobody freak out about basses into guitar amps. Ever again. Ever.

[mtsn]

@AToxicOrange it might happen with a bass through a guitar amp (the opposite - never!), if there are some evil frequencies here and there it can damage the speakers (not the amp), but it's not the same to say that it will happen - as in plug it in and the amp will crash - though. It might happen, but it's not common.

[EuphoriaMusicSession]

woah sweet i didn't know fender made bari's

[Baconfish]

They make a couple, but this isn't one of them. :P

It's a bass.

[beauty8116]

I paid $1200 for mine 4 years ago,

[awesomeopossum27]

Are these still widely available or would I have to do a lot of searching to find one?

[TomDelongeClone]

How much $ for a Bass VI?

[stereordinary]

With Fender's recent price increase, I have no idea.

[Ambition246]

$3,000

[coldfustion]

3.00

[xHighPotencyx]

Regular guitar amps can handle these lows without issue?

[stereordinary]

At this volume they can. If I crank it up real loud the bottom end starts to get pretty flubby. A bass amp is a better choice for handling a VI.

[lalaosd]

hmm probably running it on a bass amp would be better

[fasada79]

wowm thats amazing! love the bass and the line. can you please tab it?

[stereordinary]

Thank you very much. I won't tab the line because it's an original composition, but I will try to post some more of the song for everyone to hear.

[stereordinary]

Thanks for the kind words. I have a little more to this song, but I'm sort of waiting to get my band going to finish it.

[jessegimbel]

I would LOVE to hear more to this song, please put more to it up here!

[samuelmichaud]

Yeah but im more in it for the barritone sound + tremolo feature which should be included on every guitar ever made just in case you wanna use it.

[892852]

nice video man!!!

[stereordinary]

Thanks man!

[samuelmichaud]

I like the video though, sounds like Fugazi a bit.

[stereordinary]

Thanks, I like Fugazi actually. :)

[samuelmichaud]

Yeah if that's an original composition, you should make it happen with a band. As long as you don't get screamos in there. This bass line has a real urban still feel to it. It's relaxing and somehow spacious.

Cheers.

[samuelmichaud]

Nah I think you love to break it to me, come on admit it.

lol

I'm talking about Jags and Mustangs and MAYBE jazzmasters. Around in the late 70's early 80's.

[stereordinary]

Personally I don't think that the profit margin on American-made guitars is nearly that much. I make guitars myself, and even figuring that Fender and Gibson and the other big companies buy hardware and supplies by the truckload, I don't think that their markup is so unreasonable. The price I paid for my VI is one that I'm totally happy with and it was worth every penny as far as I'm concerned.

[samuelmichaud]

hmm, well im not saying you should feel like an idiot or something. It's cool it u feel satisfied. But personally i can't believe it's not $800 or something.

[Jiveness]

I know! It just doesn't cost even close that much to make!

[enimahead182]

Just to let you know. I work at a music store and I know that our cost on a $1099 am std is around $850

[samuelmichaud]

thanks

[samuelmichaud]

how much did you pay for it?

[stereordinary]

It was about $2100. The price has gone up since.

[samuelmichaud]

fuck fender

they make these things with collectors in mind.

What about people like me who are broke but would really need a bass VI as it would be perfect for the sound im trying to make.

Tiz very shitty cuz i doubt they really have to make them so expensive. Only cuz they don't make em anymore.

If anyone knows about a similar but affordable instrument with a whammy bar I'd love to hear.

[samuelmichaud]

I mean that's how they got popular in the first place ain't it? Great guitars(look and sound) at an affordable price. Like i once read Kurt Cobain said mustangs and jaguars were really cheap back in the 80's they were everywhere.

[Jiveness]

I hate to break it to you, but all guitars are way more expensive than they cost to make. Instrument making factories, as in Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, whatever, they make bank selling carved wood and two hours worth of soldering for about 400% profit.

[samuelmichaud]

i figured that part

thanks anyway

i think it's the same for a lot of things out there; books, computers, weapons, cameras, sound recording, food, etc.

It's ridiculous. A fuzz pedal can cost 20$ to make. Some get sold for around 250$

[sonilink2]

what song are you playing? I love it!

you have a tab?

[stereordinary]

It's one I wrote. No tabs, and that's only a small bit of it.

[stereordinary]

LOL!

[stereordinary]

ELP forever!

[letterbekmen]

Is it plays like a baritone guitar or like a bass? and what about the tremolo bridge???

[stereordinary]

It it can do both. And yes, it even has a trem.

[darkxhino]

robert smith really like the tone of the jaguar bass VI

[omgitsrob111]

Ah the Fender VI...as made famous by The Cure

[Autobot71Ironhide]

@omgitsrob111

Actually, the beatles used it too.

[Konner]

Thay always discontinue the coolest models!

[stereordinary]

That is, if they ever issue them in the first place.  Can you say... Marauder?

[mickyhodge]

the marauder looked badass too... i just use a schecter hellcat VI its the same sort of thing and not discontinued.

[stereordinary]

You know you're right. I never thought of that, but the HellCat does look a lot like the Marauder.

[mickyhodge]

gretch's baritone is also a octave lower discovered that today

[Konner]

How much did that relic cost you?

[stereordinary]

Um, it's not a relic actually, it's "NOS" series. It ran me about $2300.

[Konner]

Whats ''NOS''?

[stereordinary]

New Old Stock.

[Jiveness]

Finish the song! IT'S AWESOME.

[stereordinary]

Thanks! I'll do a longer version one of these days.

[Peaveygrinderr]

dude this is awesome, i've been playing the bass for 2 years now but i rly like this sound, how do you do it? plz give me a few hints :) never took classes or anything so don't start coming up with notes ^^

[stereordinary]

The Bass VI has a very unique sound unlike any other bass. I'm only plugged into my Marshall 60-watter and a 4x12" guitar cab, which isn't exactly ideal for a bass. The sound of the VI still comes through at lower volumes like this though. It really is like nothing else out there.

[Peaveygrinderr]

In september i'm gonna start working, then i'll get one ^^

[Jiveness]

awesome video. I love the tune and the bass. 5 stars.

[stereordinary]

Thank you very very much! :)

[C0rvus]

I want one badly, but I doubt I'd know what to do with it.

[stereordinary]

I found that my personal style was more suited to the VI than regular guitar or bass. I play a lot of single-note melodies with accompanying bass notes.

[C0rvus]

Can it be played like a regular bass? It seems like the spacing between strings would be a little small for that.

[stereordinary]

Yeah, you got the idea. There're guys out there that play them with their fingers like a normal bass, but not much slappin' and poppin' goin' on.

[shinjiyasuno]

I bet it's a bitch to find strings for that.

[stereordinary]

Hah hah. Well, it's not like I can go down to any local stre and pick 'em up, but they'r pretty easy to find online. Expensive though!

[shinjiyasuno]

so how much did this thing cost? you should put up some more videos. I like the song you made but i wanna hear more of that bass... guitar... thing.

[stereordinary]

Yeah, I keep meaning to make more videos I just haven't got around to it. I'm a new dad you know. ;)

[stereordinary]

Yes, it is. Just an octave lower.

[joerhoney]

Hey, apparently the cam used for this video has pretty good mic pick up. You can really get a pretty good feel for the deepness of the Bass VI when you wear headphones. Then again, you don't get any resemblance of the feel of it when you put the headphones up to your chest. Sad really.

[stereordinary]

LOL. I never listened to it on headphones before, but that's pretty cool. But you need chestphones to feel it on your chest.

[disarmit]

a very nice riff played with awesome sound and awesome equipment !

[stereordinary]

Triple thank you!

[JODQ11]

i wanna get te schecter hellcat bass vi

this type of thing six strings guitar tunning long fretboard and versatile tone

its such a sweet instrument

almost everything u play in it sounds so awesome

[stereordinary]

Amen to that brother!

[DJKonflict]

is this an original composition?

i figured out the notes and planning to record it and use it for a random videos i make (with your permission of course).

[stereordinary]

It is an original composition and there's quite a bit more to it actually. Send me a private message or an email about your ideas and we can talk about it.

[DJAerial]

Nice stuff, man.

[stereordinary]

And thank you, sir!

[dtjj5]

Should it be plugged in to a guitar amp or bass amp?

[stereordinary]

It can be plugged in to either one, but a bass amp is a wiser choice. You do run somewhat of a risk of damaging a guitar amp with the super low notes.

[stereordinary]

Do you mean besides the real deal, which is still curently available? There's a couple, the Schecter HellCat, the Chandler Metro, and Danelectro invented the 30"-scale six-string bass.

[BobReidy]

Where did you get that and how much was it.I want one to.That thing is cool.

[stereordinary]

I ordered mine from a local Fender Custom Shop dealer. I think you can still get them from a few places including Musician's Friend. The price has gone up though, I must warn you.

[mydog2134]

yeah its like 3,000 +. hey i noticed you were running that into a marshall amp, is that a guitar amp and if so shouldnt you be more careful because bass's could blow out guitar amps

[stereordinary]

Yeah, I really need to get a bass amp to run it through. I'm playing at a low volume most of the time though, so no real danger, but when I get back to gigging I'm gonna have to get a bass amp.

[mydog2134]

yeah true but with a half stack marshall i would be scared of even plugging it in

[DillonHowes]

i want it :|

[GayDad420]

FTW? Fuck the world?

[stereordinary]

It stands for "For The Win". It's apparently a World of Warcraft reference. I learned it from my friend Steve.

[joerhoney]

DazZAM! Look't that boy play!

[stereordinary]

Word to your mother!  Waitaminnit...

[joerhoney]

LOL!

[josephcintron1980]

just curious, are you playing a 1970s fender VI or a REISSUE Fender VI late 2000s, or are you playing a Fender VI Japanese reissue 1990s? Thanks. I use to own a fender VI Japan reissue and it wasn't that great, the tremolo bar kept falling off, the bass strings kept falling off the bridge, and way too much buzzing. I sold mine, and plan on getting a vintage one or a American Reissue one. Hopefully Olympic White =)

[stereordinary]

This one is a 2006 CS reissue. The problems you described with your Japanese VI are all common among Japanese-made offset Fenders. The hardware on those imports isn't as good as the stuff on the American-made ones.

[eviespecial]

so a fender bass vi is basically a baritone guitar?

i was wondering why cant you just play a  bass

[stereordinary]

No, a Fender Bass VI is not a baritone guitar, and I'm not a bass player.

[haniFEKALJA]

Hey there,

Nice sound. Just wondering whether you're using a bass or a guitar rig.

[stereordinary]

It's a Marshall TSL-60 head into a Marshall 1960B 4x12" cab. So, it's a guitar rig. I actually don't own a bass rig, being primarily a guitar player, but I plan on getting one for the Bass VI.

[soupkitten]

must. have.

[stereordinary]

wow you are really hot, are you single?

[stereordinary]

Thanks Kitten, only use your own YouTube account next time. :P

[stereordinary]

LOL! Yeah, this clip was made right after I moved into that apartment, so everything else is a total mess. Spared no time getting the amp up and running though!

[Sylkis89]

absolutely beautiful.

With my neither guitar, nor bass mentality (baritone style? cause still closer to guitar, but with love to low sounds) my love to jaguar has transformed into love to bass vi, whhich seems perfect to me. And this clip makes it even deeper...simply beautiful, awesome sound, everything...

One day I'll get luthier's custom copy of this gorgeous instrument.

MOAR DEMOS PLZZZ xD

[stereordinary]

Wooh! I gotta get on recording more demos don't I?

[Sylkis89]

yes, you do ;)

[ICEandSNOW793]

PLAY MORE! MOARRR

[stereordinary]

OAKY!